The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-11-05
tackled her then You ken SHAKE stick at.

| III anu OutcI tnt Dl'uiiIoH h"ih "'' "'''''
lots from Marcelleys where she was rared
And yer she sits peaceful like just ez i
she'd never been outer n pertater patch
and hadn't plowed the sea with fo'sail.
and studdin' sails and them things ca
vortin' round her masts,"
Abner Motifs enthusiasm was shared
by his daughter, but with more imagina
ton, and an intelligence stimulated by
the scant literature Of her fathers emf
grant wagon and the few books found on
the cabin shelves. But to her the strange
| shell she inhabited suggested more OF the
great world than the rude, chaotic civil
zation she saw from the cabin windows OF
met in the persons OF her fathers dodgers.
| Shut up for days in this quaint tenement,
she had seen II change from the enchanted
playground Of her childish fancy to the
theatre OF her active maidenhood, but
without losing her ideal romance in II.
She had translated its history In her own
way, read its quaint nautical hicroglyphicS
after her own fashion, and possessed her
self Of its secrets. She had in fancy
made voyages in it TO foreign lands,
had heard the accents Of softer tongue on
its decks, and on summer nights, from the
roof Of the quarter deck, had seen mel
lower consultations take the place OF the
hard metallic glitter Of the Californian
skies Sometimes, in her isolation, the
long, cylindrical vault she inhabited
seemed, like some vast sea shell, TO become
musical with the murmurings Of the dis
tant sea So completely had it taken the
place Of the usual instincts Of feminine
youth that she had forgotten she was
pretty, or that her dresses were old in
fashion and scant in quantity, After the
first surprise Of admiration her fathers
lo,lgers ceased to follow the distracted
nymph except with their eyes-partly re-
specting her spiritual shyness, partly re-
spccting the jealous supervision Of the
paternal Mott She seldom penetrated the
crowded center OF the growing city; her
rare excursions were confined to the old
ranch mt Petaluma, whence she brought
flowers and plants, and even eXtemporized
n hanging garden on the quarter deck.
II was still raining, and the wind which
had increased to n gale, was dashing the
drops against the slanting cabin windows
with sound like spray when Mr. Ahner
Mott sat before n table seriously engaged
with his accounts. For it was steamer
night"--as that momentous day Of reck
oning before the sailing Of the regular
oil q, hriany IN
mercial San Francisco-and Mr.. Mott
was subject ut such times to severely
practical relapses. A swinging light
seemed to bring into greater relief that
peculiar encased casketlike security Of the
low timbered, tightly fitting apartment,
with its toylike utilities of space, and
made the pretty oval face Of Rosey Mott
appear characteristic ornament. The
sliding door Of the cabin communicated
with the main deck, now rooted in and
partitioned Off so as 10 form small pass
age that led to the open starbOard gang
way, where narrow, inclosed staircase
built on the ships side took the place OF
the ships ladder under her counter, and
opened in the street
A dash Of rain against the window
caused Rosey to lift her eyes from her
book.
cts much nicer here than at the ranch,
father" she said coaXingly, "even leaving
alone it's being n beautiful ship instead Of
shanty; the wind don't whistle through
the cracks and blow out the candle when
you're reading, nor the rain spoil your
things hung up against the wall. And
You look more like gentleman sitting in
his own-ship-you know, looking over his
bills and getting ready to give his or
ders."
Vague and general rs Miss Roseys com
pliment was, 1t had its full effect upon
her father, who vas at times dimly con-
scious Of his hopeless rusticity and its in
cOngruity with his surroundings. eyes"
he said awkwardly, with relaxation of
his aggressive attitude; Eyes, in course
it's more bang up style, but it don't pay
-Rosey--it don't pay. Yer's the Pontiac
that oughter be bringn' in, ez rents go,
Mt least $500 u month, don't make her
taxes bin thinkin' seriously Of sellin
her."
As Rosey knew her father had expert
enced this serious contemplation on the
first Of every month for the last two years.
and cheerfully ignored it the next day,
she only said, 'I'm sure the vacant rooms
and lofts are all rented father"
That's 1t, :" returned Mr.. Mott thought
fully, plucking at his bushy whiskers with
his fingers and thumb us if he were re-
moving dead and sapless membranes in
their growth chats just what 1t is
them g ez in it themselves don't pay, and
them ez haz left their goods-th goods
don't pay. The Teller eZ stored them iron
sugar kettles in the forehold, after trying
to get me to make another advance on
'em, SEE he believes he'll have to sacrifice
'em to me after all, aud only begs I'd give
MIN chance Of buying back the half of
'em ten years from now, ut double what |
advanced him. The chap that left them
five hundred cases Of hair dye tween
decks and then skipped out to Sacramento,
met me the other day in the street and ad-
vised me To use bottle cz an advertise
ment, or try it on the starn of the Pontiac
for fire proof paint. That foolishness ez
~ III. Al. T., l.,